Lando Norris dominates Mexico Grand Prix to claim F1 title lead for McLaren

Dubai: Lando Norris put on an outstanding performance at the Mexico City Grand Prix, taking a flawless win from pole position and returning to the top of the Drivers’ Championship. The McLaren driver, who finished second in Austin last week, carried his strong form into Mexico, finishing 30.324 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. It also marked McLaren’s first win in Mexico since Ayrton Senna in 1989.

This victory was vital for Norris, who now leads his teammate Oscar Piastri by just one point with four races and two sprint races left. Even though he missed the first practice session to let rookie Pato O’Ward drive, Norris quickly found his pace, topping the final practice before taking pole ahead of Leclerc by 0.262 seconds. A clean start at Turn 1 allowed him to stay out of trouble and pull away from the pack with ease.

Behind him, the race was full of drama. Max Verstappen, starting from fifth, fought his way to third after being forced onto the grass in a four-wide battle for the lead. The Red Bull driver used a one-stop strategy to close in on Leclerc near the end, but a late Virtual Safety Car thwarted his challenge for second.

Piastri had a tougher race, dropping to ninth on the opening lap before recovering to finish fifth. The late VSC also stopped him from challenging Haas driver Oliver Bearman for fourth. It was the fourth race in a row that the Australian missed out on the podium, putting his championship hopes under pressure.

Bearman, meanwhile, delivered a brilliant drive to secure a career-best fourth place. The 20-year-old showed great confidence and skill, matching Haas’s best-ever result in Formula 1.

Leclerc’s strong finish helped Ferrari move ahead of Mercedes into second in the Constructors’ standings, even though Lewis Hamilton’s race was affected by a 10-second penalty for leaving the track during a battle with Verstappen.

Norris’s dominant win in Mexico has tightened the title race, setting up an exciting final few rounds. With his teammate Piastri and Verstappen still close behind, the fight for the championship looks set to go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.